Halton Height

New walk today,  a few weeks ago I drove up to find the lay-by and starting point for this walk and seeing as the weather is just perfect for doing this walk and finding my way round todays the day.  I parked up in the lay-by and it was pretty full but managed to squeeze into a space.  There were lots of cyclists out and about too.  The view looking across to Lower Barden Reservoir was lovely.  I crossed the road and set off down a wall side path through the bracken which was now springing up quickly with the good weather.  

It was a straightforward track down through a gulch and eventually heading back on the moor road by a cattle grid. 

From here I crossed over and followed a track up the side of some woods.  The track followed a wall-side up and somewhere here I must have gone wrong as I reached the top, passing a quarry with Rhododendrons in it and never hit an OS column or a cairn. . Next time I do this walk I’ll be sure to look out for it.
 

  

Instead I just continued to follow the wall along the moor top.  There were curlew flying around sounding a bit upset so they must have had a nest nearby that they were warning me off from.  At the top I could hear a cuckoo really loudly that was sat up in a tree above the quarry.  The path eventually dropped down to Eastby Gate, although I walked past it down to a stream before I realised that the gate I passed was the one I was looking for so I had to climb back up the hill. 

From here I turned to cut across the moor to a grass track heading to a row of grouse butts. 

The path then turned into a landrover track to two shooting cabins.  Here I turned left past the stone built cabin following a trod through heather and bilberry bushes. 

Lots of grouse were here and flew up in the air angrily flapping their wings when I walked past.  There were lots of buzzards circling too on the way round.  Then when I dropped down onto the firm track/bridleway I heard lots of birds and looking back there was a flock of starlings performing like a mini murmuration eventually they settled and I followed the track back to the lay-by where I’d parked.  The track back was a lot further than I thought.  The book said the walk was 3 ¼ miles but when I checked it was nearer 4 miles.  The views of Lower Barden Reservoir and Simon’s seat behind were lovely.  A really pleasant walk on a warm day.